Volume 94, Issue 3 - My High School Journalism

Little Dodger 

Fort Dodge Senior High Volume 94, Issue 3 

Nov. 5, 2010 

Time to go? 

A look inside aging 

middle schools 

Page 2

2 News Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Fort Dodge in need of a new middle school 

By Sloane Morrow and Rachel Lerkamp 

Staff Reporters 

One of the biggest debates going on in Fort 

Dodge is the building of a new middle school. 

As former students we all can remember attending 

both Fair Oaks and Phillips. The schools are 

both both over 50 years old and have numerous 

problems inside and out. The problems have 

only gotten bigger as we have made our way to 

the high school. 

Many problems at the schools are major and 

need attention immediately. Many people in the 

community feel that a new middle school is not 

needed at this current time. However, they only 

see the clean, well kept parts of the building. 

This is because the buildings are constantly being 

repaired and fixed by custodians and district 

workers. 

The Little Dodger sent four staff members 

to uncover the truth about the buildings and 

problems within. The results of those interviews 

made it clear that the district is in definite need 

of a new middle school building. 

Fair Oaks Middle School 

Fair Oaks was built in 1931 as a junior high 

and later became Fair Oaks Middle school in the 

mid 1980s. Through out those years the build- 

ing has seen many repairs to the inside and out 

both cosmetic and infrastructure repairs. 

The building has many problems that would 

cost more to fix than to build a new building. The 

walls have moister problems from water coming 

in from the old mortar in the bricks, which 

had been tuck pointed many times through out 

the years. The walls have been patched and 

re-painted to fix the moisture damage, only it 

is not working. The roof leaks in spots which 

causes the ceiling to fall and collect moisture. 

The building has very little ventilation. Steam 

pipes carrying the heat through the school during 

the winter are rusting from years of use. The 

boilers are old and need to be replaced, however 

they are very complicated systems to figure out 

how to remove and to refurbish. The heat return 

system in the school leaks when it is running 

during the winter which can cause a problem for 

the janitors. 

The three story building can see temperatures 

of over 100 degrees in July. During the winter, 

the custodial staff works hard to keep it warm 

inside the building. 

“The ventilation becomes a problem during 

the winter because it can be hot on one side of 

the school and cold on the other,” commented 

Van Zyl settles into Fort Dodge 

By Josey Ayala 

Staff Reporter 

For some kids switching schools and moving 

to a new town or state can be a pretty big deal, 

but for Superintendent Doug Van Zyl and his 

family this isn’t a new concept to grasp. 

As for the Van Zyl family, this isn’t their first 

move to a new community and school district 

except for Doug’s youngest daughter. 

“The school district and the community is just 

the right size,” said Doug, while explaining why 

he and his family moved to Fort Dodge. He also 

went on to say that not only did he move his 

family here for his new job but also to be closer 

to family members in Iowa and Minnesota and 

that he likes seeing family. 

Doug Van Zyl has taught at other schools 

previous to becoming the school district’s new 

superintendent. He has taught in Texas, in Independence, 

Missouri, and lastly Harrisonville, 

Missouri, where he was employed for the past 

five years. This is his fourth year being a superintendent. 

While explaining the differences between Harrisonville’s 

school district and Fort Dodge’s, 

Doug clarified that, “the Fort Dodge School District 

helps support school districts in the sur- 

rounding area.” He explained this because the 

school district is larger and has more to offer 

to the smaller schools in comparison to Harrisonville, 

which was located just south of Kansas 

City it was not the go-to-school district. 

Doug and his wife, have three children, Parker 

who is a sophomore at the high school, and 

Lani an eighth grader and Liza who is in the fifth 

“The school district and the 

community is just the right size.” 

Doug Van Zyl 

Superintendent 

grade, and according to Doug, it has been a 

good transition for both his career and his family. 

“I like getting to play baseball through the college,” 

stated Parker. He went on to say that he 

misses a lot of friends from Harrisonville, but 

has been making new friends here. Also, as 

many kids of all ages can relate, he has enjoyed 

visits to The Darriette. 

Like Parker, his sisters also participate in different 

sports. Lani was out for cross country 

this fall and also plays basketball and Liza participates 

in swim team. 

Being new to the community, the Van Zyl’s 

usually try and stay busy. “We try and be out 

and about and at school events,” stated Doug, 

and he also said he and his family have been in 

the process of visiting different churches. 

The Van Zyl family is settling in nicely to their 

new home and town. 

www.littledodger.net 

Jess Matsen, Fair Oaks head principal. 

The school has seen small repairs such as 

patching and painting of walls, the pool was 

closed about six years ago due to rusted pipes, 

along with the tuck pointing and small repairs 

to the boilers. Other smaller problems with the 

school are that the windows are not energy efficient 

and allow for lots of cold air to come in. 

Parking is another problem at the school. 

There is not enough parking for the amount of 

staff employed at the school. The school is also 

not very handicap accessible and it is a hassle 

for the staff and student. 

“A student with a broken leg has to have a 

staff member unlock the elevator and then another 

staff member has to get them and take 

them to another part of the school to use the 

elevator. It’s just a hassle for both the student 

and staff member,” Matsen stated. 

The problems also affect the teachers. “Space 

is a big issue for all teachers. There is not 

enough for students to work in groups within 

the classroom,” commented Julia Hatcher, science 

and social studies teacher. 

See NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL, Page 13 

New schedule 

considered 

for next year 

By Ashley Ebelsheiser 

Spread Editor 

Word around the school is that there will 

be a new schedule for the 2011-2012 school 

year. This information may very well be true. 

According to Dave Keane, the principal at the 

high school, a new schedule could be the fix 

to problems students experience while trying 

to learn on the current block schedule. 

One of the issues with the current schedule 

is that special education kids have to be 

pulled from class. Because of the lack of down 

time in the block schedule, it is even harder 

for them to learn. Another issue Keane sees 

for some students there is a significant gap 

between classes. Keane stated, “You could 

have a foreign language class in the fall and 

not have it again until the spring of the next 

year.” 

There are a few options the school is looking 

at for next year's schedule. A choice will 

be made between staying with the four block 

schedule, switching to a trimester schedule 

or going to a flex mod schedule. The start 

of the new schedule will depend on which 

schedule is chosen as some will take longer 

preparation time then others. 

The trimester schedule would include six 

periods each day and the periods would last 

See SCHEDULE, Page 4

Nov. 5, 2010 

By Chelsie Crouse 

Features Editor 

The holiday season is full of hustle and bustle, especially 

when it comes to the business world. 

Many businesses in Fort Dodge are busy supplying 

customers with the necessities of the holidays from 

gifts to food to party decorations to special services. 

Because of the high demand of these products, these 

businesses are often in need of temporary help. 

Target is currently hiring temporary part-time jobs 

for the holiday season. 

Theresa Egger, Human Resources executive at Target, 

said that they started out with 35 openings but 

are now down to only 21 spots left. This is more openings 

than were available last year because they expect 

they will need more help this year. 

JCPenney is also looking to hire for the holidays. 

They have already accepted approximately 15 applicants 

and have 15 openings left. 

Employees will begin work now and continue working 

temporarily until the first week of January. During 

this time there will be frequent assessments and after 

the temporary job is up, there is a possibility for employees 

to maintain a permanent position. 

The unsteady economy affected other businesses 

during last year’s holiday season. However, Steven 

Taylor, JCPenney manager in Fort Dodge, said that 

it wasn’t necessarily the economy that affected busi- 

Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High 


News 3 

Stores are preparing for Holiday Season 

By Stetson Hendrix 

Opinion Editor 

Numerous coaches from various schools in 

the district are trying to revive Fellowship of 

Christian Athletes. 

FCA is a student led organization that focuses 

on reasons to do athletics other than competition. 

Their meetings will include a religious message 

and an activity. “The games will promote 

fun, not competition,” said science teacher Kris 

Lein, who is pushing to get FCA back into the 

-Photo by Sam Foster 

Junior Reid Westerhoff pushes 

a cart while he works at Target. 

This store is one of the 

many places hiring seasonal 

school. 

Lein heard about FCA from coaches in the 

school who participated as students. FCA is a 

place where everyone gets recognized for any 

athletics so that small accomplishments that 

would otherwise go unnoticed are seen. The 

hope is that this positive attitude will make 

more students join athletics. “Senior High could 

use more positive things,” said Lein. 

FCA is also a leadership opportunity because 

it is student led. The plan is that once it gets 

started, the coaches will select a few kids to take 

ness, but rather other factors such as the weather and 

the numerous snow days. 

“With 30 job openings, its not about how much we will 

need, but rather availability,” said Taylor. 

Senior Brandon Thedford said that he is currently trying 

to find a job over the holidays. “I have no specific 

place I want to work. Just anything with decent pay.” 

Thedford has never had a job over the holiday season 

but has worked in the past. He said that he wants a job 

this holiday season because it will give him something 

to do as well as give him some extra spending money. 

Thedford admitted that he has had some trouble finding 

a job. “I just feel like no one is hiring.” 

Hallmark employees Deb Schmidt and Lisa Lawrence 

said they haven't hired seasonal help in the past. “We 

want permanent help,” said Schmidt. 

Hallmark is, however, in the process of hiring for permanent 

positions with two spots left out of three original 

openings. 

Schmidt and Lawrence said that availability has never 

been an issue at all. “We're used to working with the 

same crew.” 

Because Hallmark is more of a personal store, Schmidt 

and Lawrence said that the economy has never really affected 

their business and they don't expect that it will at 

all this holiday season. 

Fellowship of Christian Athletes restarts 

By Cortney Wolter 

Editor 

The rumors going around are true: Kohl’s is 

coming to Fort Dodge. 

So far, there are no contractors for the project, 

but the Fort Dodge Chamber of Commerce 

hopes construction will start within the next 

couple months. 

Chamber of Commerce Director Amy Bruno 

had nothing but positive comments to say about 

“It is just wonderful.” 

Amy Bruno 

Chamber of Commerce Director 

charge and run it. “The students need to be at 

the heart of it. That was the problem last time; 

the coaches tried to micromanage,” said science 

teacher Rod Huisman, who is also helping get 

FCA restarted. 

“Students slowly lost interest and adults in 

charge retired,” said Huisman. “Now all of the 

sudden there are tons of people wanting to get 

involved.” 

Their first meeting is Nov. 7 at Community 

Christian School. If you are not able to attend, 

you can still get involved. Just contact Lein or 

Kohl’s coming to Fort Dodge 

Kohl’s. 

“I think it is wonderful. More people are going 

to shop here, eat at our restaurants, and use our 

gas stations. It is just wonderful,” Bruno stated. 

Mayor Matt Bemrich also was very optimistic 

on the subject. 

“It will be a definite benefit overall. People 

shopping in Omaha, Des Moines and other communities 

will spend their dollars in Fort Dodge,” 

Bemrich said. 

Kohl’s will be placed on 5th Avenue South on 

the East lawn Acres Park after being sold on Oct. 

11. She feels that the location was a good choice 

because the street has gone through a lot of improvements. 

There is also a new bookstore, Book World, 

coming to the Crossroads mall. It will be located 

in the old B.Daltons. 

Besides the bookstore, there are no other businesses 

coming to Fort Dodge at this point, but 

Bruno, along with the rest of Fort Dodge, hopes 

more retail businesses will start up. Bemrich 

wants to see Best Buy, T.J. Maxx, Shoe Carnival 

and other shoes businesses come here. 

They are shooting for the new Kohl’s to be 

completed sometime next year.

4 News Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Williamson to teach new college class Texting Ban Law 

By Karlee Frein 


Students looking for the opportunity to take 

advantage of college courses while still in high 

school now have a new option thanks to social 

studies teacher Brett Williamson. 

Having previously taught the government 

course at Iowa Central, Williamson is a natural 

fit for teaching the new high school class. 

The Iowa Central government class will now 

be offered at the high school in place of A.P. 

Government. Reasons for this replacement are 

appropriate due to the fact that students will be 

exposed to college materials while still in their 

familiar high school environment. 

Rather than earning a political science credit 

for high school graduation in just A.P. Government, 

students can kill two birds with one stone, 

as they earn high school and additional credits 

for college. 

Williamson and Assistant Principal Ben Johnson 

had nothing but positive comments to offer 

about the new government course being added. 

“(Williamson) will not only deliver the college 

level content of the course but will also explain 

Schedule 

continued from page 2 

for only 50 minutes compared to the hour and 

a half classes that currently exist at the school. 

This schedule might be easier to learn subjects 

such as foreign language and math. If this 

schedule is chosen, it will be implemented the 

following school year. 

The flex mod schedule is a type of schedule 

where periods will differ on time depending on 

what the teachers feel they need to instruct a 

specific type of class. For instance, a class like 

yearbook would require longer periods, but for 

only half of the year, where an English class 

would only need 40 minutes a day but would 

be instructed all year long. If this schedule is 

picked, it will be used during the 2012-2013 

school year. 

News Briefs 

On Saturday, Oct. 16, over 380 cheerleaders 

from across the state of Iowa packed Valley 

High School to try out for the All-State cheerleading 

squad. 

Three out of the four Dodgers who tried out 

for the team made it. 

Juniors Ashley Ebelsheiser, Erin O’leary, and 

Katie Rickels will represent Fort Dodge on the 

All-State squad, which accepts only 34 cheerleaders. 

Practices will start in December and will take 

place once a month in order to prepare the 

squad for their performance at the boy’s state 

basketball game in March. 

the material to our high school students,” said 

Johnson. “This benefits the students, providing 

the framework to become accustomed to college 

courses before actually leaving the high school.” 

The Iowa Central government course will kick 

off with two periods, beginning fourth semester. 

While both are excited for the course to begin, 

Williamson is hopeful that he will be capable of 

spreading his knowledge of the political science 

and government fields to his students. His main 

goals being: “civic participation and getting people 

excited about politics. (Kids should) debate 

more and have a better sense of what’s going on 

in their communities, not just sit back, relax and 

watch politicians do what they do.” 

In addition to encouraging political participation, 

Williamson said that the class will cover 

the branches of government, how they function, 

civil liberties, and civil rights. 

To be a part of the high school’s new class, 

adjust your schedule soon as Iowa Central Government 

is filling up quickly at the high schol. 

Take Mr. Johnson’s advice : “Stretch yourself in 

high school, don’t just be minimalistic.” 

Another option is to stick with the block schedule 

that has been in place here at the high school 

for the past 14 years. Advantages of the block 

schedule are that students have many more opportunities 

to get credits then they would on a 

trimester or flex mod schedule. Also in classes 

that need productivity time such as shop or art 

classes, having hour and a half long classes are 

good for both students and teachers. 

Deciding on which schedule to pick will not be 

easy; Keane has put together a group of faculty, 

students, and parents to do research and carry 

out mock school days with each schedule. All 

the findings will be brought to the table on Nov. 

17. 

All-State Cheerleading Special Olympics 

The Special Olympic Bowlers competed at 

Ridgewood Lanes on Oct. 14. Out of the 13 that 

competed, four bowlers are moving on to the 

state level competition in Des Moines on Nov. 

20. 

Jessica Boitnett bowled a 78-75, Sara Boitnett 

bowled a 30-33, Rebekah Hoefling bowled a 35- 

70, David Hollers bowled a 61-47, Tyler Jarvis 

bowled a 104-98, Shaquille Lawbaugh bowled a 

52-58, Elliot Lee 125-133, Ariel Mullins bowled 

a 61-73, Matthew Nellis bowled a 69-107, Allen 

Smith bowled a 105-116, Clint Terrell Jr. bowled 

a 99-77, Alexander Watson bowled a 63-65, and 

Zach Williams bowled a 92-99. 


Teens getting creative 

By Amanda Becker 


Since July, police officers have been enforcing 

driving without texting. In spite of this, 

teens have been figuring out ways to text 

while driving and not get caught. 

“It is a 127 dollar ticket if a person is caught 

sending, opening or reading a text message 

while driving,” said Police Officer Chuck Guthrie, 

“for the first year, officers are only to give 

out warnings.” 

The reason the law was created was to reduce 

the accidents and fatalities that happen 

while texting and driving. 

Craig Hamilton, an insurance agent for State 

Farm said “We usually do not deal with people 

who have gotten into an accident due to texting, 

but I have a feeling not everyone is telling 

the truth.” 

“It is difficult to spot someone driving while 

texting because teens have figured out ways 

to avoid getting caught. If a person is driving 

while texting, the police officer has to be driving 

right next to the car looking in the vehicle; 

the purpose of the law is to be a deterrence,” 

Guthrie said. 

Many teens have created ways to avoid getting 

caught texting while driving. 

“I usually try to stop if I want to text, but 

otherwise I don’t even look at my phone while 

I text,” said senior Josh Lennon. Senior Stephanie 

Grandors on the other hand “drives with 

her knees.” 

Senior Jon Cygan’s parked car was struck by 

another car. The driver of the car was texting 

while driving. 

All these student advise not to text while 

driving. It is a dangerous thing that can lead 

to fatal accidents. 

“Those people who have lost friends or family 

to texting while driving understand and appreciate 

the new law,” Guthrie said. “We want 

to avoid making any more fatalities on the 

roads.” 

Crossroads Mall- 

Fort Dodge

5 Opinion Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

We’re awesome 

In cheer, guys are obviously few and far between, 

but this year on the varsity squad at the 

high school there are six varsity guys and two 

JV. 

It’s no wonder there are so few of us with all 

of the difficulties that arise. We have to balance 

the hours of practice, lifting and community service 

all while wearing the right 

t-shirts. 

All of this goes along with 

school and whatever other activities 

we have going. On top 

of all of this stress, we put up 

with a ton of criticism from ignorant 

people who think they 

know what cheerleading is. 

To anyone who is only exposed 

to cheerleading at football 

games it may seem like 

all we do is yell clever little 

rhymes at the crowd. It is so 

much more than that; if it 

wasn’t there wouldn’t be 8 

guys cheering at Senior High. 

We have four and a half hour 

practices on weekends, and 

it’s not hours of yelling but 

a solid session of lifting and 

throwing girls. 

Regular practices are when we work on game 

plans deciding what stunts we are doing after 

the first and third quarter of the games on Friday 

nights. The little bit of stunting the crowd 

sees on game night takes five hours a week to 

put together. If the guys aren’t being used to 

put on the game plan we are working on partner 

stunting (one guy stunting with one girl) 

which causes a whole new list of problems for 

the guys. 

Stetson Hendrix 

Not only do we have to be strong enough to 

lift and balance the flier (the girl being lifted), 

but we have only a few attempts at our stunts 

before the girls are too tired to keep working or 

are needed somewhere else. 

This can be even more more difficult because 

no two fliers are the same. One stunt with a different 

girl may as well be a 

different stunt because you 

have to learn all over to stunt 

with her. 

The worst thing guy cheerleaders 

have to deal with is 

criticism from people who 

don’t know anything about 

what we do. All of us, at 

some time or another, have 

had people tell us what they 

thought of cheerleading. 

They are rarely polite about 

it. Often these ignorant people 

want to get violent with 

us for being cheerleaders. 

This is when the guys on 

the squad stick together. We 

don’t want these problems 

and we didn’t ask for them, 

we just want to cheer. 

The only way any of us can stand the criticism 

is with support from the other guys. That’s why 

we are all best friends almost immediately. Sure 

we don’t always get along, but we manage to 

get past our fights to avoid problems and stay 

as supportive of each other as we need to be. 

One note before I finish, two weeks ago while 

stunting my best friend on the squad yelled at 

me for looking at him while he talked instead 

of up his girlfriend’s skirt. What could be more 

manly than that? 


Little Dodger Staff 2010-2011 

Editor: Cortney Wolter 

Copy Editor: Catherine Shook 

News Editors: Anna Bowser and Emily Martin 

Sports Editors: Lynne Nissen and 

Colin Hendricks 

Opinion Editors: Colt Butrick and Stetson 

Hendrix 

Features Editors: Abbie and Chelsie Crouse 

Focus Editors: Ashley Ebelsheiser and Mindy 

McMullen 

Photographers: Jacy Scharf and Sam Foster 

Business Manager: Jenn Schmidt 

Staff Reporters: Sloane Morrow, Karlee Frein, 

David Kilian, Amanda Becker, Tabitha Chitwood 

and Rachel Lehrkamp 

Online Editor: Katriece Ray 

Online Reporters: Mallory Mileham, Jacob 

Clausen, and Emily Conell 

Online Photographers: Emily Laughlin and 

Echo Selhaver 

The Little Dodger is established as an open 

forum of the Fort Dodge Senior High. The 

Little Dodger’s goals are to inform, educate 

and entertain its readers and provide an advertising 

forum for businesses. All activitites 

and news will be covered to the best of our 

abilities. 

The Little Dodger cannot publish material 

that is obscene, illegal to minors, libelous, 

misrepresents facts, substatially disrupts 

school or invades a person’s right to privacy. 

The editorial policy is on file in room 213 

at Senior High. Letters to the Editor are welcomed. 

They must be typed, must be 250 

words or less and must be signed. They 

should be dropped off to room 213 at least 

one week prior to publication. All letters to 

the editor will be edited for content but not 

correctness. The Little Dodger is a member of 

the Iowa High School Press Association and 

Quill and Scroll. 


Photo Poll 

Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve 

ever done online? 

Facebook 

creeped on 

people. 

Chris Gurnett 

Freshmen 

Chatted with 

hot babes all 

day...but that’s 

not weird for 

me. 

Ryan Nielson 

Sophomore 

I found a site 

with celebrity 

phone numbers 

and tried to 

prank call them. 

Levi Porter 

Senior 

Hacked into 

someone’s 

Facebook! 

Taryn Wilson 

Junior 

Watching my 

grandson grow 

through sonograms. 

Teresa Cassidy 

Teacher

Nov. 5, 2010 

Sports sure do teach you a lot. Whether it’s learning 

how to tackle, hit a ball, or perfect a stroke, the coaches 

in your certain sport drill the fundamentals into your 

head until mastery is achieved. 

But as time passes your form will become sloppy, 

techniques will eventually be forgotten, and the only 

lessons that remain are ones that deal with life. 

With each grueling practice you learn how to persevere. 

You may not like everything your coach makes 

you do, but you shut your mouth and do it. Why? You 

want to get better at that stroke or shot. 

With every obstacle, be it a game or an injury, etc, you 

gain confidence in yourself and in teammates who help 

you overcome those obstacles. 

You could sit and think for hours of life skills gained 

because of sports, but, to me there is one lesson that 

sticks out. You have to care. 

My sport is football, and my high school career ended 

on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 and on this day is 

when I learned the key to life (as I know it). The more 

you care about something, the less you care. 

Let me explain. 

The more feelings you have for something or someone, the less you will 

care about every negative that goes along with that certain something or 

someone. 

Case and point. I care a great deal about the sport of football, but even 

more about my football teammates. I didn’t want to let them down this 

year so I worked my butt off in the off-season. 

Every day I would lift weights after school until exhaustion (thanks to 

Coach Timmermann). Yes, I would be sore as heck the next day, but I 

drug myself back into the weight room every day, knowing that if I took 

even one day off I’d be letting my teammates down. 

The winter passed but my work did not. I continued to lift during the 

spring and summer and went to camps to work on my technique. 



Opinion 6 

Keep your tongue in your own mouth 

For the past four years, it has become obvious to me 

that the rule “keep your hands and feet to yourself” 

hasn’t fully sunk into the minds of the adolescents at 

Fort Dodge Senior High. Well I’m here to remind you 

of that concept. 

From now on, I do not want to see touching, kissing, 

hugging, holding hands, putting your tongue down 

someone else’s throat and basically having sex in the 

halls. It is disgusting, repulsive and unbearable. 

If you have the urge to put your arm around your 

boyfriend or girlfriend, fight it. You can’t bear to be 

separated from your significant other? Too bad. For 

eight hours five days a week, I hope you can control 

yourself. If you cannot, switch schools immediately. 

I can name you most of the couples who chose to 

abid by the rules and show affection. If I would ask 

the school who are the most outrageous couples, I bet 

each student would describe the same students. Now 

Cortney Wolter 

I am not going to name those people, but I hope you 

know who you are and are deciding to change your 

disturbing ways. 

A class period is less than an hour and a half and it is pathetic that couples 

will stand outside their classroom’s doorway making-out excessively 

or share long, awkward hugs. You’re going to text them throughout the 

class anyways and see them soon enough. Leave your romantic happenings 

in the bedroom. A school is no place for them. 

I have had to scream at the top of my lungs at couples with their arms 

around each other and their lips glued together. I really don’t care at this 

point if you are offended. I really do not feel bad if I hurt your feelings. 

I have seen enough of these disturbing public displays of affection. You 

shouldn’t have to be told to control your sexual urges. 

This is a place for learning; not for sex. If I wanted to 

see that, I would watch a porno. 

For the record, most of you couples will not last past 

college or even high school. Most of you have mistaken 

lust for love. I know that you think you are “in love” and 

“life is heart-breaking without your significant other,” 

but I promise you life goes on when you are not all over 

each other. 

These relationships in high school are to prepare you 

for marriage in the future. 

This idea goes hand-in-hand with respect. I believe 

that if you chose to make-out with your girlfriend or 

boyfriend in the hallways, you are not respecting the 

people around you. 

If someone takes offense to my raging comments, 

Editor why should it matter? They are not showing respect to 

me, themselves or their boyfriend or girlfriend. Why 

should I show them any? 

I don’t make-out with my boyfriend in the halls and 

do not want to either. We barely even walk together; I feel as if that would 

be disrrespectful to him and myself if we acted this way around school. I 

respect everyone in this school who also shows me respect in return. You 

stop making-out, I’ll stop being rude. 

I know this opinion is cliché but someone needs to step up and say 

something. The school needs to make a policy for public displays of affection. 

All teachers and students need to step up and stop this nonsense. It 

has gotten out of hand. I’m tired of being one of the few to stand up and 

say something. 

Let’s stop showing PDA in the hallways and come to school for learning. 

Sports teach us more about life than games 

Colin Hendricks 

Then practice started. At that point all of the work I 

did shifted from individual effort into a collective team 

effort. Enough of the team cared about each other at 

the beginning of the season to not care about all of the 

sweat filled days of endless practice and conditioning. 

Sure, we complained now and again, but when Coach 

Miller told us to do another sprint we did it. 

Feelings grew stronger and over the course of the year 

we, as a team, grew numb to the sacrifices we had to 

make to be a good team. We didn’t always like what we 

had to give up but we did it, because we couldn’t stand 

seeing our teammates in pain. 

As you all know, the varsity football team had a great 

year. We finished with a record of 8-2 and were the outright 

CIML Iowa conference champions. I truly believe the 

reason we had so much success was being the amount of 

love for one another we had. We weren’t always the fastest 

or the strongest but when we set foot out on the field 

one thing was for sure: we cared more for each other 

than any other team. 

So, even though I’m not happy the way the season ended, 

i’m glad the pain of defeat lead me to this discovery. I think this is going 

to make me a better person in the future, which really is the point of high 

school athletics. 

The wins and losses won’t be remembered (and if they are, chances are 

they won’t be remembered accurately) but the life lessons will stick with 

you. 

I learned that the key to success, for me anyway, is the ability to care. The 

more I care, the easier it is to make sacrifices for that cause. Whenever I start 

to complain in the future I will be able to reflect back and see just how much 

I care about the problem. If I don’t care about it, I won’t fret, but if I do care, 

I’ll give whatever it takes to achieve my goal. 

But don’t take my word for it, go out and try a sport (or challenging activity) 

and see what life lessons you learn. 

Sports Editor

7 Opinion Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Officially under construction 

In honor of all the change that has happened 

around our town and school I’ve decided to announce 

that I’m going under 

construction. 

I’m going to change my attitude 

towards school and the 

people around me, while this 

won’t be easy, I’m really going 

for it. 

If you think about it, as long 

as you want to dislike a person, 

you will. No one is perfect, 

every one has flaws that 

you could dislike them for and 

if you’re looking for them, 

you’re going to find them. I 

know this because I do it just 

like everyone else does it. 

I mean if you don’t like a 

person are you really going to 

admit that they’re pretty and 

have a bright personality? No. 

You’re going to find everything 

that’s wrong with them and make it known 

to other people. 

Most of us already know what’s wrong with 

ourselves, so I highly doubt we need people 

continuously reminding us. I know it’s almost 

impossible to be friends with everyone but I’ve 

decided that I’m going to try it. Why not? 

Mindy McMullen 

Hey Dodgers! Before I get into my topic, I want 

to let you guys know who I am. Some of you 

may not know me, so I wanted become familiar 

with you. 

First of all, my name is Katriece Ray and I’m a 

senior. I love to dance, sing and watch cartoons 

(Chowder, Flapjack, Adventure Time and Regular 

Show for the win!). 

Music makes me happy; 

so does green bean 

casserole. Yum! I love 

skinny jeans and nerd 

glasses. Photography 

is a little hobby I love 

to do at random times. 

Singing in A Cappella 

makes my life happy! 

So, now that you 

have a better idea who 

I am, I want you to ask 

yourself, “Who am I?” 

However, I don’t want 

to hear who you THINK 

you should be nor who 

your friends think you 

should be. Look into 

your heart and think 

about what really 

makes you happy. 

All over the world, teenagers are being pressured 

by their society to achieve a certain image 

that society tells them is “good.” Teens are 

hiding who they really are and changing themselves 

to make other people happy. This is a ma- 

I’ve been in high school for almost two and 

a half years and a lot of what I do remember 

is stuff I would like to forget 

about. 

Life is too short to be anything 

but happy, and you 

can’t be happy when you 

hate everything about everyone. 

Who would you rather 

be around; someone who 

builds you up, or someone 

who breaks everyone down? 

Everyday I hear 900 things 

about 900 different people. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love 

gossiping. Everyone loves 

gossiping. However, I’ve 

been gossiped about and 

when your name is the one 

coming out of someone’s 

mouth and going into someone 

else’s ear gossiping isn’t 

so great anymore. 

Our school has been through a lot. We’ve lost 

friends and classmates and we’ve done a great 

job of pulling together in the past in order to 

deal with the tragedies, but unity shouldn’t only 

be present after a tragedy. 

We need to stick together in order to prevent 

anymore tragedies from taking place. Everyone 

Spread Editor 

Stay true to who you are 

Katriece Ray 

Online Editor 

jor component in eating disorders. Girls starve 

themselves or throw up their food in an attempt 

to achieve this unrealistic body they see on TV 

and magazine covers. Overall, a lot of teenagers 

aren’t happy because they’re not being themselves. 

Dr. Suess wrote, “Be who you are and say what 

you feel, because those who mind 

don’t matter and those who matter 

don’t mind.” People should to stop 

worrying about what other people 

think of them and be who they want 

to be. 

Like the quote says, if your peers 

don’t like your true self, then forget 

them! Being in a large school, 

we have dozens of different groups 

of people. Chances are there is another 

group with the same interests 

as you who won’t judge you for who 

you are. 

Now, I’m not trying to be the crazy 

person running around yelling, 

“Don’t conform! Blah blah blah.” If 

you’re happy where you are and you 

feel like you can be yourself, then 

awesome! I’m glad you’ve found 

where you belong. 

This is for the kids who think they’re happy, 

but may not be able to show their true colors. So 

look deep inside and ask yourself, “Who I am?” 

If you find your inside image and your outside 

image don’t match, then it may be time to make 

a change! 


is always fighting their own battles and that’s 

important to remember. 

We can’t control people or their actions, but 

we can control ourselves. Life is too short to stay 

wrapped up in the present problems, and it’s 

too short to miss the chance of meeting someone 

great because your friend’s friend doesn’t 

like them. 

These are the reasons I have decided that it’s 

time to change. I’m hoping that this will begin a 

‘pay it forward’ effect and soon we’ll see a lot of 

this change going around our school. 

No one can be perfect, so of course I might 

not succeed totally, but starting the day that 

this issue runs I’m officially under construction. 

Staff Editorial 

Bring back daily 

announcements 

It has been tradition that the student body 

president and vice-president read school announcements 

every morning. Now announcements 

only are available on-line and on the 

flat screen in the student center. Who really 

has time between passing periods to stand 

there and read them? We think they should be 

read over the p.a. each day. 

We know putting them on-line and on the 

TVs is a good way to embrace technology in 

school, but the student center is nowhere 

near the majority of the classrooms. Supposedly 

no one was listening to the announcements. 

The entire staff, including our adviser, 

listened to the daily announcements. If teachers 

and students are complaining then someone 

was obviously listening. 

There are two major reasons why they were 

taken out of our day. First of all, we only have 

Dodger Time three days a week. Second, 

some felt they were disruptive when read during 

regular classes. When teachers are taking 

attendance is a perfect time to sit and listen 

to what is going on in the school that day. 

We think most teachers can keep order in 

their classrooms for five minutes during announcements. 

This tradition goes hand in hand with the 

other ones that have slow disappeared over 

the years such as pep assemblies, doughnut 

day and little things like that. 

What ever happened to the high school 

being built on tradition? Things continue to 

change and those changes are sometimes not 

for the better. We are willing to accept change 

when it is necessary and benefits the majority. 

Having announcements every morning is a 

benefit for students and teachers. How can 

anyone know what is going on if they are not 

read each morning? 

We only hope that Dodger Senate and the 

administration will do something about this 

inconvenience.

8 In-Depth Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Technology Addiction 

Number one weakness for teenagers 

The Facebook Fad 

Stories by Ashley Ebelsheiser and Mindy McMullen 

Spread Editors 

With population on the rise, it is hard to ignore the ever-growing Facebook 

community. With 500 million active users, this social network site 

is the largest in the world, nearly doubling since 2009. If the word hasn’t 

spread far or fast enough, Facebook is a social networking site that allows 

its users to add each other as “friends,” upload videos and pictures and 

update your status to let everyone know what you’re doing. If that isn’t 

enough to fathom, Facebook users can also add applications, join groups 

and even “Facebook stalk” their friends. 

Junior Andrea Pingel had a few good things to say about the site. “I like 

that I can keep up with all the latest goings-on without being nosey.” Pingel 

also likes being able to share pictures between her and her friends. 

Pingel makes appearances on Facebook a couple times a day for about 

10 to 20 minutes. This is nothing compared to senior Cameron Altman 

who said that he gets on Facebook on average three times a day for about 

30 to 45 minutes. 

With how often people are getting on Facebook, the number of ways to 

access it are growing as well. Not only can Facebook users get on their 

computers to get the latest gossip, but they can also use their iPods, gaming 

systems and cell phones. “I usually get on during class on my phone,” 

said Altman, while Pingel said that her iPod is the easiest way to check out 

who’s doing what this weekend. 

Downfalls that Altman notices about Facebook is internet bullying. “Yes, 

I have done it, but it gets out of hand sometimes.” Pingel finds the major 

flaw to be that people push aside more important things like homework. 

Search engines are some of today's most popular sites on the World 

Wide Web. They're available to anyone with internet access and provide 

information about almost any subject that you type in. One of the most 

well known of these search engines is ChaCha.com. 

ChaCha is an online instant chat search tool. 

Scott Jones, the creator of ChaCha, told USA Today about his new 

search engine, ChaCha.com. “Yeah, it takes Google two-tenths of a second 

to show you a page of results, but on average it takes people 11 

minutes to find what they want,” said Jones. Many of today’s search 

engine inventors try to create something better than Google.com, which 

has a hold as the top search engine. 

Chris Meyer, CEO of Monitor Networks agreed with Jones. “You have to 

learn how it (Google) hears. It doesn’t learn how you talk,” said Meyer. 

Google was launched in 1998. The inventors originally named the site 

BackRub but after a year decided on the name Google. As of December 

2008, Google employed 20,222 people. 

ChaCha.com was created in November 2006 and the mobile answers 

text service was launched in January 2008. Today, Cha Cha employs 

50,000 guides across the U.S. Many might wonder how ChaCha can 

afford to pay 50,000 people. “The key is advertising,” Jones said. “First 

because users have to wait while an expert digs around for stuff, Cha- 

Cha can play a very targeted, valuable video ad. Then because the experts 

will know exactly what each user is looking for, ChaCha can serve 

up ads that hit their mark.” Those ads are worth two or three times 

Google's keyword ads. 

ChaCha has developed into one of today's most well known sites. Everyday 

an average of 10 million people use ChaCha as their search tool. 



Sophomore Joey Gerdes sits at his computer enjoying features 

Facebook has to offer. He is one of many at risk of a technology 

Both Pingel and Altman agree on their number once annoyance with 

Facebook. “I hate it when people get on Facebook, post their entire life 

and then complain about others knowing their business,” said Pingel. Altman 

and Pingel give the advice that if people don’t want everyone to know 

what they’re doing, they shouldn’t post it on Facebook. 

The New Google Internet Secure? 

When dealing with a lot of people in one place at one time, a priority 

presents itself. Providing protection for people and the things they're doing 

is important for law enforcers everywhere. 

Police men spend everyday trying to create a secure environment for 

people walking the busiest streets and traveling from place to place. However, 

one of the busiest places on earth doesn't have a police force. Or 

does it? 

Being aware is the most important thing to do when surfing the web. 

Risks present themselves when they're least expected. Something as innocent 

as a pop up add might lead to a harsh computer virus. One of the 

biggest risks on the internet is the chance of meeting an online predator. 

In a news report on channel WSFA12, Prattville Police Department explained 

the process of catching an online predator. Heather Brown and 

Sgt. Gary Graves are a part of the police department's computer forensics 

unit. 

“I would say in the first two to three minutes, the conversation turns to a 

sexual nature,” said Brown. Brown and Graves pose as 12 or 13 year olds 

to lure predators. The team works hundreds of cases that concentrate on 

arranging meetings and making arrests. 

A predator situation can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Social 

networks such as Facebook or Myspace pose the biggest threats towards 

minors because the kids don't realize who they might be really talking to 

or who's really looking at their profile. The sites continue to work towards 

creating a fun and safe environment on the web. However, complete security 

is almost impossible when trying to get to know someone. 

While being on the internet, being aware and secure should be the first 

and foremost things that come to mind.

Nov. 5, 2010 



Spread 9

10 Features Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Give anime club a try 

By Emily Martin 

News Editor 

Looking for a new club to join? Want a place to 

talk about all things Anime? Then head on over 

to the Anime Club. 

Every Thursday after school in room 48 the 

Anime Club meets to discuss Japanese cartoons 

(Anime) and Japanese comics (Manga). 

They plan events based on Anime, such as going 

to AnimeIowa, which is a convention in Iowa 

that is for all the Anime lovers in the area. 

When the club isn’t going to AnimeIowa, they 

play a game called Ninja, which involves striking 

ninja poses until you hit someone’s hand. 

Teacher Lori Zosilus allows the club to use her 

room when they need it to host the 20 students 

who usually attend the meetings. 

The club is lead by junior Dakota Demery and 

senior Hunter Hansen. 

They took over after the original founders, 

Ayla Peet and Angel Peet left. 

Since then, the club has been enriching the 

lives of those involved. 

“We can’t get through a meeting without 

bursting into laughter at least once,” said Demery. 

The Anime club offers a place for people to 

fit in, meet new friends and to open up about 

their lives. 

While the club isn’t studying Anime, playing 

games or talking to others who love Anime, 

they are helping out the community. 

“We helped clean up the Oleson Park Zoo over 

Road House 

Crossroads Mall 

Fort Dodge 

- Photo drawn by Sam Wendel 

Free Pop for 

FDSH 

Students! 

Purchase 6 wings 

or an entree and 

receive a free 

pop 

(Must show Student ID) 

Not valid with any other offers 

the summer,” said Demery, “and we hope to do 

a food drive sometime too.” 

This club expands the views of those who participate 

in it, but that’s not the best part. 

“The best part of the club is seeing people who 

are quiet and shy opening up,” said Demery. 

So for those who want to expand their horizons, 

join Anime Club. 

It’s the secret club of the school, but a great 

club to get involved in. 

- Photo drawn by Jordyn Petersen 

Shown here are a few hand-drawn samples 

of the artwork created in Anime 

Club. 

- Photo drawn by Jordyn Petersen 


Faces in 

the Hall 

Chelsea Towlerton, freshman 

Favorite fall-time activity? Going 

on walks with friends 

Favorite Halloween memory? 

Going from house to house on the 

four-wheeler. 

Halloween costume this year? 

Cowgirl 

A scarecrow is in your front lawn 

and nobody is watching. You... 

Start screaming, run away, then go 

back and take it down 

Favorite Thanksgiving food? 

Mashed potatoes 

You have to carve a pumpkin. 

What do you carve in it? My name 

DeAndre Harvey, sophomore 


to football games to mack on 

females 


When I was two getting scared of 

all the costumes 


Myself. 


and nobody is watching. You... 

Drop kick it 

Favorite Thanksgiving food? Turkey 

and mashed taters 


What do you carve in it? Tanner 

Clymer’s number 

Brayton Taylor, junior 


to the Apple Orchard with my 

best friends 

Favorite Halloween memory? Going 

to the haunted forest in Ames 

Halloween costume this year? I’m 

dressing up as Colin Hendricks 


and nobody is watching. You... Run 

inside and call the cops 

Favorite Thanksgiving food? Anything 

that can be digested 


What do you carve in it? I’d carve 

a person carving a pumpkin into it 

Jessica Johnson, senior 

Favorite fall-time activity? 

Choir 


The school’s Halloween spirit 


Witch hat 

A scarecrow is in your front 

lawn and nobody is watching. 

You... I’d feel creepy 

Favorite Thanksgiving food? 

Turkey and potatoes 


What do you carve in it? A 

face

Nov. 5, 2010 

By Anna Bowser 

News Editor 

What do an Oreo, a school bus and a football 

have in common? These everyday objects are 

just some of the new bits and pieces of American 

culture the German students had to get used to. 

A group of 22 German students from Baden- 

Baden, a town in south-west Germany, arrived at 

the Des Moines airport the evening of Oct. 16. 

Their three week adventure to the United 

States started in Frankfort, Germany. From here 

they continued to Chicago and then on to Des 

Moines. About 24 hours later, the German students 

were safely with their host families in Fort 

Dodge. 

These students were given the choice of going 

to England with the rest of their class for a few 

days or coming to America to visit Fort Dodge 

for two weeks. 

For Lena Koritnik the decision was easy. “I 

wanted to improve my English and meet new 

people. And it is better than England,” Koritnik 

said. 


On Oct. 18, the students started their first day 

of school in the United States. According to Koritnik, 

the school here is a lot different than in 

Germany. “It’s a really big school. The classes in 

Germany are a lot more strict.” 

Her classmate Anik Gantzkow also agreed 

with her that the school in German was stricter 

than America. She also noticed that in the United 

States the classes are chosen by the students 

unlike in Germany. 

While in Fort Dodge the German students went 

on different planned activities. These events included 

bonfires and trips to important places in 

Fort Dodge like the Blanden Art Museum and the 

Fort Museum. 

The German students and their hosts also had 

fun rollerskating, having pizza parties and shopping 

at the Mall of America along with other fun 

activities. 

The Germans also experienced the American 

way of life while spending time with their host 

families. 

While the Germans are in America they must 


Features 11 

Germans ‘invade’ high school 

quickly adjust to our culture and way of life. The 

English is one of the hardest things to get used 

to. 

“The first two days were hard (of understanding 

English). It is getting better,” said Gantzkow. 

Koritnik also said that sometimes Americans 

speak too fast and it was hard adjusting to some 

of the words that they didn’t learn in English 

class. 

The German students also adjusted to other 

things in the United States such as the food, 

sports and holidays. 

Koritnik commented that she “likes the football 

games although I don’t always understand 

what is going on.” 

She also tried her first Mexican food while in 

the United States and was excited to experience 

her first American Halloween. 

After two weeks in Fort Dodge, the German 

class spent a few days in Chicago where they 

went sightseeing before they returned home to 

Germany. 

Junk in the trunk 

What is hiding in senior Jessica Power’s trunk? 

-A skeleton: It is Halloween 

-Two empty pizza boxes: Because 

I eat like it’s my job 

-Senior powderpuff shirt: Representin’ 

the seniors 

-Clothes: Just in case 

A notebook: Well it makes sense 

considering I’m in school 

-A car jack: Who doesn’t have one 

of these in their car? 

-A bandana: It’s just in there 

-A pair of flip flops: ‘cause they’re 

cute 

-A hair straightener: I honestly 

don’t know 

-A kite: To fly with Jacy, Jim and 

Mickey of course 

-A textbook: Definitely would have 

been helpful in class today

12 Features Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Fame in Fort Dodge 

Clark, Ellendson, Nelson all with famous relatives 

By Colt Butrick 


Fame, fortune, platinum records, Superbowl 

rings and Grammys. Everyone’s dream right? 

However, a little known fact around the high 

school is that we have students and teachers 

here who are related to someone who others 

aspire to be. 

Teacher Kristi Clark has a brother-in-law, Dallas 

Clark, who plays for the Indianapolis Colts 

in the NFL. 

Clark doesn’t see her brother-in-law any differently 

even going so far to ask “If your mom 

became famous would your outlook on her 

change?” 

Though she does say “People asking for lots 

of autographs during the season [causes trouble].” 

Sophomore Angie Ellendson’s uncle Bobby 

Petrino is the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. 

“People are way to hard on coaches nowa- 

Get to know Zachary Elmquist 

By Echo Selhaver 


Sophomore Zachary Elmquist is a fellow classmate 

you should get to know. 

Elmquist has lived in eight different homes 

not only in Fort Dodge but in North Carolina, 

Webster City, Clearlake, Mason City, Coalville 

and Audubon. 

He was born in North Carolina and lived there 

for four years. 

Elmquist is not particularly close to his family 

but he is closer to his mom than he is to his dad. 

He has four brothers and sisters, one of them 

attending the high school and others either to 

young or too old attend the high school. 

Outside of school Elmquist likes gaming out 

on his Xbox and listening to his favorite band 

Hollywood Undead. His favorite games are Call 

of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Oblivion. 

Elmquist also likes to make video clips with 

his older brother Ian Siedel, a junior. He is also 

always baby sitting his little brother JR. 

Elmquist is not involved in any school activities. 

Elmquist has good relationships with his 

friends. He talked briefly about his best friend 

Dillon Johnson but he moved away last year. 

This year Elmquist is looking forward to passing 

all of his classes. 

Elmquist is shy and quiet around new people 

and in the majority of his classes. 

When Elmquist is with his friends and in German 

class he is loud and super outgoing considering 

German class is his favorite. 

“He is very smart and motivated to learn German. 

He has a great future if he sticks to his 

studies,” said German teacher Timothy O’Brien. 

Elmquist wants to go on the trip to Germany 

days, [my uncle] is an offensive mastermind.” 

says Ellendson who had to hear criticism against 

her uncle after he left his coaching job for the 

Atlanta Falcons. 

“When he left Atlanta, ESPN was saying bad 

things. I threw my hot dog at the TV,” said Ellendson. 

On another aspect Seth Nelson’s older sister, 

Molly Nelson of the Channel 8 news, doesn’t 

shine as a celebrity in his eyes. 

“I don’t consider her famous, so it’s not different 

except she’s more knowledgeable about 

some things now,” said Nelson. 

After some people found out that Nelson’s sister 

is a journalist they don’t see him differently. 

“Sometimes people expect you [to] have the 

same goals and I don’t,” said Nelson. 

Although all three have faced some challenges 

with the aspect of having a famous relative, they 

have all had interesting experiences. “I went 

golfing with Peyton Manning,” said Clark. 

- Photo by Echo Selhaver 

Zachary Elmquist takes a break during 

class. Elmquist is a sophomore this year at 

the senior high. 

with school but is unsure if he can go. 

He also has becoming a German teacher on 

his list of things he might be in the future. 

He hopes to attend either Iowa State University 

or Western Iowa Tech. to work on computers. 

Elmquist is also taking the new class Intro to 

Computer Programming. 

“I like the class, but I don’t know if I’ll take the 

next one because this one is really hard,” said 

Elmquist. 

In ten years, Elmquist sees himself graduated 

from college and being either a German teacher 

or a computer tech. 

Now you know Zachary Elmquist. 

www.littledodger.net

Nov. 5, 2010 


New middle school 


The school is not set up right for classes; with 

a maximum of 31 students in a class the rooms 

can not be set up in an organized fashion. The 

plumbing in the bathrooms can cause a problem 

for both staff and students also. 

“With the school being the age it is, it is difficult 

to bring new technology in without putting 

a hole in a wall or ceiling,” said Terry Madden, 

Special Education Teacher. 

The parking and traffic noise is also a problem 

at the school. The school is located on one 

of the busiest streets in Fort Dodge, 5th Ave. 

South. 

“The traffic noise causes problems in the classroom 

when you are trying to teach,” commented 

Leslie Lawrence, language arts teacher. 

The cost of repairs to the building are not 

worth what the result would be. The school district 

would also have to figure out where to put 

the kids when the repairs and remodels where 

going. 

Bennett, Lawrence, Madden, Hatcher, and Sue 

Hrarbak, the 5th grade counselor are excited 

about the prospect of a new building and hope 

-Photo by Jacy Scharf 

The gym is one of the most damaged places 

inside Phillips Middle School. The plaster 

is coming off the brick foundation.It is 

also happening in other places around the 

school. To repair, the cost is much more 

Phillips Middle School 

Built almost 90 years ago, Phillips Middle 

School’s problems continue to grow bigger and 

bigger every day. The roof, windows and heating 

and cooling in the building are all tied for 

number one on the list. 

The roof of the building has been repaired 

numerous times. “The roof continues to cause 

problems every year with leaking,” said Mark 

Johnson, Principal at the middle school. The 

roof leaks the most during the summer and early 

spring. It has rock on top of it to hold down 

the rubber membrane. The rubber membrane is 

rotten, dried and splitting at the seams. 

it will better benefit the students. 

The list of wants for the new building come 

from both teachers and principals in the school. 

Classrooms being built larger was a unanimous 

vote by all teachers interviewed and they also 

hope to have team areas like they have now that 

can promote the team system with the students. 

Having science labs, better technology and media 

centers is another plus for the teachers and 

students. 

“Having better building security would be another 

thing to have at the new building. Right 

now parents are able to just walk it to the building 

and walk around. Many times they are not 

noticed until later,” commented Hrarbak. 

Other things that top the list of putting in the 

new building are wider hallways, better cafeteria 

and a gym that doesn’t echo as bad as the one 

now. 

The staff of the present Fair Oaks are excited 

about the new building and hope that is not just 

a figment of their imaginations. They also hope 

the school board and community let the school 

be moved to a building with fewer problems. 

“In some places the roof is so bad, grates replace 

ceiling tiles because it would have to be 

constantly replaced,” said Mike Conrad, custodian 

for the building. As if the roof falling apart 

wasn’t enough the windows are also causing 

major problems. 

The windows are in terrible condition and 

do not hold in moisture. “Moisture coming in 

through the windows causes paint to peel and 

walls to crumble,” said Conrad. The walls have 

been repainted and fixed numerous times. In 

some cases the wall had to be completely replaced 

with plywood. The windows along with 

the boiler system make it hard to heat and cool 

the building. 

Heating and cooling the building is difficult 

because of the boiler system. “The boilers themselves 

are in good condition. It’s the system that 

does not work well,” said Conrad. In the early 

fall and late spring the building can get up to 90 

degrees. 

In the winter, the building can reach a low of 

60 degrees. The top floors the building can be 

very hot while downstairs classrooms will be 

very cold. Miguel Badillo, math teacher said, “It 

is a huge difference between one room to the 

other.” On top of those major problems the 

building also has several minor problems. 

Other problems the building deals with are 

plumbing, electrical issues, bad flooring, parking, 

and classroom sizes. 

Plumbing throughout the building causes 

problems every year. Conrad said, “Several toilets 

are very busted up and every winter pipes 

break and steam pipes crack.” Like the roof and 

crumbled walls the pipes have been repaired 

many times. Electrical issues, however, are not 

as easy to fix. 

With today’s technology advancements, the 

old building has a hard time keeping up. “The 

rooms can’t handle the electrical needs without 


News 13 


The boiler system is one of the many different 

problems Fair Oaks faces. It needs 

to be replaced but it is too complicated to 

remove and refurbish. 

blowing fuses,” said Johnson. When the building 

was built, there was no such thing as computers. 

All that was needed to learn was a pencil 

and paper. 

“We keep wiring up more computer rooms and 

the building can’t handle these advancements 

that kids use to learn today,” said Conrad. 

The building also has other issues because of 

its age. One of these is the flooring. 

The flooring in the building is original and in 

a lot of places the tile is cracking and bubbling 

up. “We keep on it so it looks nice, but that’s 

because we fix it,” said Conrad. Although, the 

floor is able to be repaired, parking is not. 

Parking for school is so limited that teachers 

must park on the road between the school and 

the gym or on side roads around the school. For 

sporting events and concerts, there isn’t enough 

parking for parents. Just like parking, the classrooms 

in the building do not have enough room. 

A lot of the classrooms in the building are 

small. “The rooms can be very crowded for 

classes that have more than 30 students,” said 

Johnson. 

“It looks nice when you drive by; it looks nice 

when your parents come here for programs. The 

floors are swept and mopped, but the public 

does not realize how bad of condition the building 

is in,” said Conrad. 

The cost to repair and renovate the building 

would be equivalent to half the price of a brand 

new middle school. The repairs and renovations 

would take a long time. “We could not do it over 

the summer because we would not have room 

for the kids to come back in the fall. It’s too 

big of a project,” said Johnson. With all of these 

problems, the city has decided to build a new 

middle school, combining both Phillips and Fair 

Oaks. Plans for the new building are set to be 

done in the fall of 2013.


Nov. 5, 2010 Sports 16 

Weight 


work out and sweat a lot,” said Rogers. 

Rogers thinks the key to making weight is to keep water 

weight down. 

Junior Ben Schnurr is also trying to cut 10 pounds. He wants 

to work out when possible, eat healthy and to be focused. 

“I’m going to work hard to cut weight after football season 

is over. I eat frozen cool whip. Its light weight and just one 

spoonful fills me up,” said Schnurr. 

One dilemma with Rogers and Schnurr was with them being 

on the football team and with wrestling being their second 

hand sport. The prblem was if the football would have continued 

into further rounds how much time would consume. 

Wrestling consumes a lot of energy that a normal body isn’t 

used to. 

If football players were still in season 

and trying to cut weight it would be very 

difficult for them to play their current position. 

“I wouldn’t want the football players/ 

wrestlers to be cutting weight while they 

are still in season with their first sport. 

They need to be 100 percent focused on 

football. I don’t think it would be fair to 

the coaches and players and could lead 

to serious injury if they were not participating 

at full strength,” said head wrestling 

coach Bobby Thompson. 

Along with Schnurr and Rogers junior 

Nate Lentsch has a strict routine to stick 

with. Lentsch has some worries. He is 

scared that he won’t pass the necessary 

tests required to wrestle. 

When he was in cross country his main 

focus was his legs it’s a hard transition 

because wrestling uses the whole body. 

“Being in another sport keeps my 

stamina up and makes me able to work 

harder for longer periods of time. Makes 

my body stronger,” said Lentsch. 


Another issue that plays along with cutting 

weight is the risk of injury or dehydration. 

Strength and conditioning specialist 

Bryan Jacuette fears that kids don’t 

understand that weight loss is unhealthy 

and they need to understand what 

weight loss is needed. Its water weight 

versus muscle weight, you don’t want to 

lose muscle mass its fat that needs to be 

gone, Jacuette said. 

He also said that when you take certain 

elements, like food and water, out 

of your body it puts additional stress on 

yourself. When an athlete drinks water 

the body will retain it because it doesn’t 

know when the next meal or fluid will be. 

His advice is not to binge eat and eat 

calorie dense foot. Try pasta and a salad 

opposed to a cheeseburger and fries. 

Thompson is also against weight cutting. 

He believes that wrestlers should lift 

weights opposed to cutting. 

“They need to lean up through their diet 

and proper exercise,” Thompson said. 

He advises wrestlers to wait until the 

BMI tests and that will determine what a 

person can lose health wise.

Little 

Sports 

Dodger 

Fort Dodge Senior High 14 

-Photo courtesy of Dale Wooten Photography 

Connor Morain eyes the quarterback during the homecoming game. 

Connor Morain: the crazy kid 

By Colin Hendricks 

Sports Editor 

Whose pain? Moooo’s pain! 

For those who aren’t familiar with the Fort 

Dodge football program this is senior linebacker 

Connor Morain’s trademark call. 

But don’t think the hooting and hollering is all 

fun and games, it serves a purpose too. 

“Moo keeps us loose in practice and during 

our games,” said fellow classmate and linebacker 

senior Will Kenny. “We play better when we’re 

loose. We don’t worry about messing up; we 

just do our jobs.” 

Playing loose sure does work. The Dodgers 

have racked up a total of 31 sacks this season, 

Morain spearheading the aggressive Dodger 

defense with nine. The middle linebacker is also 

the tackle leader on the team, racking up 95 total 

tackles in ten games, a number that ranks 

third in all of the CIML Iowa Conference. 

“To play middle linebacker you’ve got to be 

tough, which Moorain is. You also have to be a 

little crazy, which Moorain is,” said senior linebacker 

Mark Wilson. 

Wilson definitely isn’t lying. “My favorite part 

of football is hitting dudes so hard that their 

helmets disintegrate,” said Morain. 

After battling a back injury last year, Morain 

made an impact on the varsity team, starting at 

linebacker for the second half of the year. 

Little 

Dodger 

Player 

The player helped the team to a 7-3 record 

which was good enough to earn a home playoff 

game and the best Dodger football season since 

1984. Morain also earned all CIML Iowa honorable 

mention in his junior campaign. 

This year, Morain led the defense to 19 regular 

season takeaways and a 8-1 record. The 

Dodgers success brought a CIML Iowa conference 

title and a first-round home playoff game 

against Waukee, which the Dodgers lost by a 

10-7 decision. 

The ending of the season may not be the last 

time Morain sets foot on the gridiron however, 

the player will consider any offers by colleges 

over the next few months. 


The final season 

This is the year I will have to say goodbye. 

Goodbye to the players, to the huge FD sign 

in the middle of the field, the coaches screaming 

and the music stopping. I won’t have to fill 

water bottles or cut my hand on the ice machine 

anymore. No more clutter or unscrewing facemasks. 

The smell will be forever gone. 

I can’t listen to the Black Eyed Peas the same 

way ever 

again or 

d a n c e 

c r a z i l y 

in a little 

shack I 

s o m e - 

t i m e s 

w o u l d 

c a l l 

h o m e . 

I can’t 

c o m - 

plain that 

s o m e - 

t h i n g 

was misp 

l a c e d . Sports Editor 

No more 

“wooo’s” 

f r o m 

Porter or random yelling from 

‘Moo’pain. I don’t have to worry that Levi is 

going to fall when he runs down the hallway. 

No more hand hugs or team dinners. I cant 

sneak in to hear coach Millers inspirational 

speeches or interrupt films. No more “Ahh, who 

are we?” No more pain filled high fives from 

Mcbride or Moser complaining about the girl 

smells. 

I can’t say I won’t remember because it’s going 

to be hard to forget. I used to say football 

took up too much of my time but it was a part of 

me. I cant sit up in the press box and tape early 

morning practices or watch Kardashians with 

Em in the coaches office and steal Gatorade out 

of the fridge. I won’t be replacing t-clips or putting 

a new Schutt back flap on. I cant tell Reece 

he is crossing the line or yell at Lien or get mad 

at Fraher because they said something wrong. I 

cant ask Drake to prom anymore and can’t hang 

out with Teyha on the field. 

I can’t consider myself a part of the team. The 

Dodgers lost on October 27th. That means it 

was the end for me too. 

It was a honor to have 45 brothers and 6 fathers 

and be able to share something that no 

one else can experience with my friend. 

It is time to say good bye to walk down the hall 

way and hit that pride sign for the last time. 

Lynne Nissen

Sports 15 Little Dodger, Fort Dodge Senior High Nov. 5, 2010 

Balancing 

weight loss 

By Lynne Nissen 

Sports Editor 

Eat. Work out. Sauna. Sweat. Work out. 

Sweat. Sleep. 

This is a normal schedule for a wrestler 

worried about making weight. With football 

ending near wrestling season players and 

coaches are worried about weight loss. For 

senior Levi Peters weight loss is the least of 

his worries. 

Peters plans to wrestle at his current weight 

and possibly drop a few pounds. Football was 

always his first priority and now he is on to 

bigger things to highlight his senior year. 

“I wanted to save all of my energy for football. 

When I have cut weight in the past it 

drained all of my energy,” said Peters. 

On the other hand for classmate David Rogers, 

cutting weight is his first priority. Rogers 

normal weight fluctuates between 183 and 

180 and he is trying to drop down to 160. 

To make this possible for Rogers he has to 

follow a strict schedule. He has to eat very 

minimal and consume very little fluids. He 

plans to only eat once a day and by doing 

that can effect his growth and metabolism. 

The wrestler’s main focus is passing the 

BMI (body muscle index) and the dehydration 

tests. 

“A week before the BMI I eat the minimum 

and drink very little amounts of fluids. I will 

go to the Rec Center put some plastics on 

See WEIGHT Page 16 

5 Questions 

With Scott Timmerman 

1. What is your outlook for the season? 

-I want to tell the girls the only major goals 

for the season are to 

win cham- pionships. 

Our main focus is 

state and c o n f e r - 

ence. Their goals have 

to be as high as 

t h e y ’ r e willing to 

set them. I want to 

rely on experienced, 

t a l e n t e d and intelligent 

seniors and 

also the h i g h l y 

c o m p e t i - tive and 

aggressive juniors. 

2 . W h a t is your 

opinion in the difference between being assistant 

coach and head coach? 

-I’m going to have to do a lot of organizational 

stuff. As head coach I want to be able to 

On deck: 

Anderson hits the ground running 

By Jacy Scharf 

Photographer 

Working hard is nothing new for Austin Anderson. 

He has participated in football for 

nearly seven years as a running back. He was 

a key component to this years sophomore football 

team with the ending record of 4-5 beating 

Urbandale, Des Moines East, Des Moines North 

and Mason City. He has set very high goals for 

himself in hoping to play at a division 1 college 

after he graduates. 

Anderson is not only involved in football, but 

participates in wrestling and track as well. He 

knows what it takes to be a team player yet be 

accountable for his own actions to contribute to 

the team. 

“Having to trust people and know that they 

are going to their job is the hardest part about 

being in a team sport,” said Anderson. 

It is the complete opposite situation in the 

other two sports he is in. In wrestling and track 

he has to depend on himself to work hard and 

come out on top. “It’s a lot more pressure on 

your shoulders,” Anderson said about his individual 

sports. 

He has no one to back him up if mistakes are 

made so it is completely understandable why 

trust would be so difficult in a team sport. 

Anderson also had great things to say about a 

couple varsity role models. 

“Jontel Clayton and Levi Peters really encourage 

the underclassmen and are extremely positive,” 

stated Anderson. “They are both really talented 

athletes’.” 

Matt Miller will be the next football coach to 

coach Anderson and expects a lot to be done in 

the off season. He highly suggests that Anderson 

stay active in the off season and participate 

put my own handprint on things. It’s my final 

judgment on how I want them to play 

3.What is your coaching background? 

-Varsity and freshman boys basketball 

coach with a combined of 13 years. When I 

was varsity assistant we went to state and 

won conference. I have been assistant freshman 

boy’s football coach for seven years. I 

have also coached numerous little kids and 

middle school teams. 

4.Superstitions about coaching? 

-I really don’t have any now. When I played 

high school I had to have two peanut butter 

pieces of toast. It was my ‘get ready meal’. 

I think the key is sticking to a routine and 

working hard. 

5.What changes would you like to make 

within the program? 

-I would like to see team development.The 

girls need to focus on pushing the ball and 

wearing the other team out. 


-Photo By Echo Selhaver 

Austin Anderson punts the ball during a 

sophomore game in Dodger Stadium this 

season. Anderson plays running back and 

punted for the Dodgers football team. 

in other sports. 

“He needs to be involved in other sports and 

compete at different levels. If he’s not doing 

that he needs to be working hard in the weight 

room,” stated Coach Miller. 

His best advice for Anderson to prepare for 

varsity level football is to simply work hard. Anderson 

hopes to play after high school, but he is 

unsure of what college he would like to play for.

Volume 94, Issue 3 - My High School Journalism

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